Knitting-machine



(ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Gk A LEIGHTON. y KNITTING MAUHIINE. y No. 272,561. Patented Peb.20,1883.

I lqx/ er l'nr I N. PETERS. Prhwmn w. Wuhingwn, ac.

litre dramas GEORGE A; LEIGHTON, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

KNITTING- MACHiNE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 272,561, dated February 20, 1883.

- Application filed August 9, 1880. (ModeLi I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. Lnrcn'ron, of Manchester, county of Hillsborough, State ofNew Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Knitting-lllachines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention relates to knitting-machines oi the circular class, having two sets or circular series of reciprocating latched needles adapted to knit plain one-and-one-rib or to be changed to make the cardigan stitch, as may be desired.

My improvements in this class of machines consist in the addition of various mechanisms, as hereinafter described, to control the position of the needles and to draw back out of action automaticallythehorizontalor platcneedies, they holding their loops whenever it is desired to bind the edge of the goods, as at the commencement of the cult of a sleeve. stocking, or other tubular article being knitted,

My invention also consists in certain combinations of mechanism and mechanical devices, hereinafter specifically set forth in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a plan or top view of a knittingmachine containing my improvements; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same, looking at the machine in the direction of the arrow 1, Fig. 1, part of the frame-work being broken out. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional detail taken through the spindle and cylinder-needle holder for the cylinder-needles; Fig. 4, a top viewot' the cam-plate for operating the plate-needles, the levers for operating the cams being omitted, and the said plate being supposed to be transparent, the full lines showing the cams in position for one-ardone-rib work. Fig.5 isa side elevation of Fig. 1, looking toward ltin the direction of the arrow 2 apart of the framework being broken away: Fig. 6 is a detail showing the grooved cam-cylinder for moving the cylinder-needles, developed on a plane surface, the switch and cam being in position for cardigan-work; Fig.7,adetail showing the switch in its other position; and Fig.8, a detail of the under side of the machine, to illustrate the construction of theshifting device and stops for driving and stopping the shogging motion of the cylinder-needles at the proper place.

The radially-grooved horizontal needle-bed a,ot usual construction,to contain the series of plate-needles, one 0t which is shown at a Fig. 1, has applied upon it the cam-plate 1), provided, as usual, with adrawing-back cam b and its actuatinglever b and with the regu lar throwing-out cam 11 and its actuating lever 1)", all as common. The plateb is also provided with a cam, b, for throwing out theneedies in advance, as will be described, for full cardigan-work, and it has a lever, D to moveit.

The cylinder-needles 0, (see Fig. 3, they being omitted in the other figures toavoid confusion,) the cylinder-needle bed a, cam-cylinder 0 to actuate them atthe proper times, and spindle c to support and rotate thesaid cam-cylinder are commo as in the wellknown Aiken circular-rib-knitting machine, except in the camgrooves and cams and swit-rhes of the said cylinder, as hereinafter described as of my own invention. The spindle c is fixed to the arch c? by the set-screw 0 Fixed upon the spindle is a dial, provided with a series of holes (see Fig. 1) to receive suitable pins upon the under sides of springhandles d c, to hold parts cont-rolled by them in adjusted position. The handle d is connected with a hub, cl, having a spiral groove, (1 the said hub being loose on the spindle and receivinga lug at the upper end of the rod (1 which at its lower end has attached to it my improved switch (Z composed of two blocks screwed thereto, fitted into vertical grooves in the cam-cylinder, and provided with an open space between them, the lower end oi the upper block being beveled to crowd down thebutts ot' the cylinder-needles at the proper times to shift the needles from the upper groove, 2, into the lower groove, 3,

when in the position shown in thedetail, Fig.7.

The upper end of the lower block of the switch (I is left square, so that when itis lifted from the position Fig. 7, which is the position it occupies when one-and-onerib is being knitted with one thread, it will act upon and bodily lift all the needles whose butts are then above itinto the upper groove, 2, for cardiganwork, the said switch being shown as so lifted in Fig. 6, after which the succeeding needles of the series of needles are made to travel in the upper groove, 2, for the space leading the said handles and the IOU down into the groove 3 is closed by the said block. By turning this handle 11 and hub d the switch may be raised or lowered, as desired, and be locked in either position. The handle a is suitably connected with the hub 6, having a spiralgroove, 6 to receive a lug at the upper end of a rod, e the said rod at its lower end having the usual stitch-regulating or drawing-down cam for the cylinder-needles, the rotation of the hub 6 raising or lowering the said cam and permitting it to be locked in any desired position, substantiallyas in United States Patent No. 197,079, to which reference may be had.

Referring to Fig. 6, the cam f, placed next to the drawing-down cam, draws all the needles down far enough to permit the latches of the needles to be closed, as usual, after the hooks are supplied with yarn, but not far enough to cast oh the loops on their shanks, as that is the business of the cam 0 In advance of this camfis the auxiliary drawingdown cam f which is so located as to slightly depress the cylinder-needles in advance of the camsf and e, as the change is being made from cardigan to one-and-one-rib stitch.

When one-and-one-rib-stitch knitting is being done the butts of the needles always travel under cams f f0, along up over the lilting-cam f along the groove 2, and against the inclined lower end of the upper block of the switch d and thence intothe lower groove,3; but when cardigan-stitch knitting is being done the butts of the needles passinto groove 2 at the right of Fig. 6, and pass always above cam f thence along under cams f and 6, up over cam f and straight along groove 2, the switches being as in Fig. 6.

The thread-guide g for the plate or horizontal needles, thelatch-opener g for opening the latches of the plate-needles when knitting the one-and-one stitch, and the combined threadgnide and latch-opener g for the cylinder-needles are all as usual in the Aiken machine, with the exception that thread-guide and latchopener 9 is made adjustable by reason of the hole through its shank being slotted or made of greater diameter than the diameter of the bolt which fastens it to the machine, the head of the bolt in the drawings covering, however, the said slot.

The needle-cylinder c has at its outer side one-or more longitudinal ribs, 00, to prevent it from rotating, as usual. I utilize the said lugs for shogging the cylinder 0 and its needles when knitting the binding course, and to 'do so 1 have made the ears or forks n a movable, having mounted them upon a ring, 72 (See Fig. 8.) This ring is provided with a handle, a having mounted upon it a locking device composed of a spring-pressed pin, it, operated by a lever, 11 to withdraw it from holes of an adjustable stop, 0, provided with suitable holes, 00 and which in prat'tice will be adjustably connected in any suitable or usual way with the needle-bed.

When one-and-one-rib-stitch work is beiug done the cams of the needle-plate b are all as in full lines, Fig. 4. This needle-plate has connected with it the auxiliary throwing-out cam 12, made V-shaped, as shown, and operated to throw it out and in by a pivoted handle,p, provided with a cam-slot,p that engages a pin, p of the cam. This cam is for throwing out certain of the needles a at the commencement of cuff-knitting, or the first course after shogging the cylinder 0 of the cylinder-needles for binding off.

In Figs. 1 and 4 the cam-lever 1) and the cam 19 are in the positions they will occupy when placed to so throw out the needles. handle or leverp is reversed, as in dotted lines, Fig. 1, to withdraw the cam P, as in dotted lines, Fig. 4, and leave an open space in front of it for the passage of the butts of the plate needles when it is desired to throw or draw back out of action all the plate-needles preparatory to shogging the cylinder-needles, as set forth. When the lever b occupies the dottedline position,Fig.1,and the cam b the dotted This position, Fig. 4, the said cam is free to pass the butts of the plateneedles and not actuate them. The change of position of the cam b by its lever b affects only the length of stitch, as usual, and change of position of the cam 11 by its lever b, as usual, throws out the plateneedles a little sooner, as described for full cardigan-work. The cam-plate b will be rotated by a bevel-gear on a short horizontal shaft, all as usual. The yarn will be supplied from the bobbins s t.

Al the front ends of each of the cams!) and 1 I have insertedlitters w w to act upon the butts of the needles and carry them forward I for a distance about equal to the width of their butts, so that the butts of the needlesjust behind the points of the said cams b b when the said cams are being thrown back, will not draw back the needles whose butts then bear on the said cams to becut off at the inner edge of the plate I) or, in other words, by the employment of the lifters to w I am enabled to'move the cams b b for a less distance than would be necessary if the said lifters were omitted,'for it is obvious that the points of the cams 0 11 must enter a notch or fall behind a shoulder of some kind when thrown outward, and it such shoi1lder were made in the wall of the groove of greatest diameter the movetnentot the needles by the cams I) b when move d backward, would be more than when the lifters are used.

To connect a series of ttbular articles-such as cuffs and sleeves-together,ust as the large part of the sleeve is completed, two or more courses of smooth cotton thread are run in preparatory to commencing the cuff of a new or second sleeve, these courses being subsequently withdrawn to separate the cuff of the.

new sleeve from the large or cardigan part of the old sleeve andleave the cufl'tbound or tinished at its end. A series of cufif's may be so far as to cause their loops eraser s knitted. each connected with the other by the cotton thread referred to.

In this machine the left-hand edge of the switch-cam (1 (shown in Fig. 6) occupies a position a little forward of the acting outermost cornerof the cam b for the plate-needles shown in Fig. 4. which cam draws back the said needles. The distance between these two earns equals substantially the distance between two needles. The location of the earns 01 and I) is such with relation to each other that when cam d is to ope-rate in curt-work it will start to depress the cylinder-needles into the groove 3 as the earn 1) starts to draw back the plate-needles.

In cult-work with one thread, when a cylinderneedle is depressed so thatits butt lies in groove 3, the plate needles immediately at the right and left of it are fully drawn back and hold the loops of plate-needle yarn only in theirhooks, thus drawing: the plate-needle yarn about the open latches of the cylinder-needles and enabling the same yarn to be engaged by both series of needles. Let it be supposed that the main part of a sleeve has been knitted up to the shoulder by both series of needles, sup plied each with its own thread, and operated as usual for the production of fullcardigan-work, as, for instance, in United States Patent No. 136,012. If itisdesired to makeacuft' for a new slecve,.a single thread supplied by the plate-needle-thread guide being then used. the switch cl is depressed and the throwing out cam b is put into its full-line position, Fig. 4, and the machine is rotated until the yarn supplied to the cylinder-needles by the cylinder-needlethread guide ceases to be supplied to their hooks,the said yarn being broken ofi', but not removed from its carriers, leaving the machine in condition to do one-and-one or cuiit' work. I then break 0d" the thread being" 't'edto the plate-needles, and tie upon its end connected with the knitted goodsasmooth cotton thread, which is then fed to the plate-needles, and one or more courses are knitted with this cotton thread on the plate-needles. In this condition of the machine the cuff may be cornmenced. 'lo commence the cuff and manipulate the yarn to be used in the cuff so that the first series of loops may serve as a binding course for the cuff to be knit. I turn the machine p rt of a revolution and deliver the cultyarn in the plate-needle-t hread guide tit having been tied to the end ot'the short cotton thread, one or more courses or which are knitted, as described) into the hooks of the plate-needles, until in the rotation of the machine that one of the horizontal plate-needles next behind the first plate-needle to receive the endyarn is started out, when I stop the machine. Should I continue the rotation of the machine beyond this point without changing, the posi- .tion of the throwing-out cam b the knitting would be plain one-aud-one rib with the thread oftheplate-needle-threadguide; butto bind, as l denominate this first course, I stop the ro tation of the machine at this point,draw back the auxiliary throwing-out cam by its handle 29, and swing its point aside or into the dottedline position, Fig. 4, so that the butt of the first plate-needle then drawn back and the butts of all the plate-needles drawn back in advance of it in the direction of the rotation of the plate I) will be passed by the said throwing-out cam and will not be actuated orthrown out, and the plate-needles so passed over will remain held back out of action in the groove of largest diameter (Fig. 4) and retain their loops. All the needles of the first course at the rear of the first needle passed over by the throwing-out cam b will be drawn back in the regular manner by the cam 11, and the rotation of the machine will proceed until all the plate-needles are drawn back out of action and out of range of the platc-needle-thread guide, when the machine will be stopped, and the grooved needle-cylinder 0, carrying the cylinder or vertical needles 0, having on them loops of only the yarn oi" the plate-needle-thread guide, will be turned axially by the handle u toward the right (see Fig. 25) or left fora distance equal to the space between one and the next plate-needle, the said cylinder-needles so moved or shogged carrying the loops of yarn of the plate-needle-thread guide held by them into positions at the sides of the plateneedles opposite the sides that the said loops occupied bel'ore the said cylinder 0 was so moved, which action so places the loops of yarn of the plate-needle-thread guide in such position that when the plate-needles (t are again thrown into action the stitch will be such as hereinafter described to bind the cult. After the cylinder-needles have been shogged aside, as described, the throwing-out cam for the plate-needles is again moved into its full-line position to operate the plate-needles; but by this cam alone, all the needles being drawn back out of action, asdescribed, I could not knit the first course complete, for those needles the butts of which are left immediately at the rear of the throwingeut cam b and in the groove of greatest diameter in the plate b, between the cam b and drawing-hack cam 11, would not be moved forward to receiveyart. from the plate-needle-thread guide; but to obviate this and throw out the sa d plate-needles left at the rear of the cam I) soon enough to receive yarn from the plate-needle-thread guide, I have added an auxiliarythrowing-out oam,p, which I move forward iIllO its full-litre position, Fig". 4, at the same time that I move the cam b into its full-line position. All the plate-needles being thus properly thrown out into position to receive yarn, plain one-and-one-rib knitting will be done by them and the cylinder-nee dles with one yarn supplied directly to the plate-needles by the plate-needle-thread guide, and the knitting will he continued until the cuff or artice being made is of proper length. While the out? is being knitted by the plateneedles, as described, with one thread, the

thread-guide for the cylinder-needles has its thread disconnected from the fabric, and the cylitnler-ueedles c are held so low by groove 3 as to pass under the cylinder-needle-thread guide without receiving yarn therefrom.

If a sleeve or other tubular part with cardigan-stitch is to follow or succeed the end, I move the handle d, turn cam-hub d, and lift rod d to raise the switch 11 which operates the cylinder or vertical needles 0 then just above it, so as to raise or lift up the said cylinder-needles then above its lower flat-surfaced part-usually two or three needles-and place them in the line of the upper groove, 2, in the cylinder, after which the butts of the remaining cylinder-needles in the further rotation ot the machine will follow along in the said groove 2, which will hold the cylinder-needles 0 so high, while opposite the drawing-in cam b of the plate-needles, that the cylinder-needles cannot receive yarn in their hooks from the thread-guideg of the plate-needles, as they did when knitting one-and-one-rib work. When the cylinderneedles are so lifted into the groove 2 the yarn thereafter supplied to the plate-needles will be drawn by the plate-needles across the shanks of and into the spaces between the adjacent elevated cylinder-needles 0 below their latches. After this the cylinderneedles will be again supplied with yarn from the cylinderneedle-thread guide 9 the two series of needles, supplied each with its own independent yarn, forming goods having the so-called cardigan-stitch.

In all other machines known to me, when the knitting was to be changed from cardigan (two threads being used) to plain one-and-onerib stitch, or vice versa,it has always been necessary to adjust or change the position of the thread-guide g for the e linder-needles to get it out ot' the way of the cylinder-needles as they are brought into position to do one-andone-rib work,or to put it into position to supply the elevated cylinder-needles a with yarn forcardigan-work. This separate adjustment of the cylinder-needle-thread guide g I have done away with by providing the cam-cylinder c for actuating the cylinder-needles with an auxiliary cylinder-needle-depressing Cam,f arranged in advance of the usual needle-depressing cam,f, it acting to draw down the cylinder-needles sufiiciently to obviate striking the c linder-needle-thread guide g For full-cardigan work it is necessary to throw the plate-needles a out or toward the center of the machine half the diameter of the machine sooner than when either half-cardigan or one-and-one-rib work is being done, so as to throw outward the said plate-needles and hold them opposite the point where the c linder-needles c aredrawing down the loops of their own independent thread, regularly sup plied to them by the thread-guide 9 the plateneedles so thrown out permitting the descending cylinder-needles c tov draw the thread supplied to them by the thread guide or carrier g as in half-cardigan.

across the shanks of the plate-needles a, below their latches, as it has been before described that the plate-ueedles drew their yarn across the cylinder-needles a.

In halfscardigan work, two threads being used, as in full cardigan, theyarn supplied to the cylinder-needles is manipulated by the said needles as in regular or plain knitting with only one set of needles; but the yarn supplied to the plate-needles from the plate-needlethread guide is at such time held about and between the vertical or cylinder needles below their latches, so that as the vertical or cylinder needles descend with loops of their own thread, taken from guide 9 they draw such loops down through other loops of their own thread then on their shanks below their latches, and at the same time draw the said new loops through the loops of the yarn supplied by the plate-needle-thread guide, the latter yarn being then held (by the hooks of the plateneedles) extended across and between the cylinder-needles, as described, by the books of the plate-needles, and both of the said loops are cast off thetops ofthecylinder-needles, and the cylinder-needles at the termination of their next upward stroke have each but one loopviz that of their own thread-such loop being below their latches. ln full-cardigan work, however, the yarn supplied to the cylinderneedles is drawn over, between, and about the plate-needles back of their latches, and the yarn supplied to the plate-needles is drawn about the c linder-needles below their latches,

In full cardigan each needle of both sets of needles has two loops below its latch when descending or drawing in, whereas in half-cardigan the plate-needles have but one such set of loops, they being the loops supplied frotn the plate-needle-thread guide. In full cardigan both sides of the fabric are alike, the yarn supplied to the cylindrical needles appearing on the inner side of the fabric and that to the plate-needles on the outer side of the fabric; but in half-cardigan work the outside of the fabric is ribbed and the inside is flat.

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It will thus be seen that to make cardigan or half-cardigan two mdependentthreads inust always be used, each with its own set of needles, each thread having its own carrier, and that in one-and-one rib but one thread is usedviz., that of the plate-needle-thread guide-it being introduced into the books of the plateneedles, and drawn about the shanks of the cylinder-needles, which in their-descent receive the same thread into their books. One-andone or single rib work presents single longitudinal rows of knitted loops turned in opposite directions, and double-ribbed work presents a series of two adjacent rows of such knitted loops turned in one or the same direction, each series of two loops being separated by a single longitudinal row of loops turned in the opposite direction. In one-aud-one work the cylinder-needles adjacent to the plate-neeseason 5 dles, being drawn back to form new loops, hold below their latches loops of yarn previously supplied by the plate-needle-thread guide, and the cylinder-needles as they descend by action of cam e draw the new loops of yarn laid on their latches, as before described, down through the loops so held on their shanks below their latches, thus forming new loops from the yarn of the plate-needlethread guide.

The spindle 0 with which the cam-cylinder for cylinder-needles is connected, may be raised and lowered by hand-manipulation to make the rib more or less prominent without necessitating the adjustment of the switch and stitch-regulating cam, the screw 0 during such movement being loosened by a suitable wrench.

I claim- 1. In acircular-knitting machine, a series of plate and cylinder needles, and the regular throwing-out cam to operate the plate-needles, combined with the auxiliary throwing-out cam to throw out only the plate-needles at the rear of the regular throwing-out; cam, the said auxiliary cam throwing out the said needles to receive yarn and knit during that course of knitting next after shogging the cylinder-needles, substantially as described.

2. The cam-plate for the plate-needles, provided with the usual needle-actuating camgrooves, combined with the cams b b and the lifters w w to obviate excessive backward movement of the butts of the plate-needles in contact with the said cams when they are moved, to thereby obviate cutting the loops held by the said needles when shogging the cylinder-needles and binding the cuff, substantially as described.

3. The cam cylinder provided with the grooves 2 3 for the cylinder-needles, combined with the drawing-down cams 0 f, and with the auxiliary drawing-down cam f to draw down the o \linder-needles in advance of the act of the usual drawing-down cams,to therebylower the said needles out of the way of the threadguide for the cylinder-needles when knitting one-and-one-rib work, substantially as described.

4. In a knitting-machine, the series of plateneedles and means to operate them, the cylinder-ueedles, and the cam-cylinder provided with the cam-grooves 2 3 to actuate the cylinder-needles, combined with the switch d its rod and grooved hub to raise and lower the said switch at the proper times, to enable the machine to knit either cardigan or plain oneand-one rib, substantially as set forth.

5. In a knitting-machine, a series of plateneedles and cylinder-needles, the cam-cylinder for the cylinder-needles provided with the grooves 2 3, the stitch regulating cam, the needle-liftingcam and switch, and the carryingrods for the switch and stitch-cam, and the adjustable spindle upon which the said cam-cylinder is held, combined with the arch to hold the spindle and permit it to he raised and lowered to make the rib more or less prominent, and with the rotating grooved hubs to adjust or change the position of the switch and stitchregulatiug cams independently of the movement of the spindle, as set forth.

6. The series of plate-needles, their holdingbed, and cam-plate b. provided with the movable cams b 1;, b, and b and cylinder-needles, their holding-bed and cams to move them, and two independent thread-guides, combined with the arm a a suitable movable support therefor, and stops to regulate the extent of movement of the said arm, the said arm being adapted to engage the bed of the cylinder'needles and shog or move the said bed to place its needles at the opposite sides of the plateneedles, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a knitting-machine, the bed for the plate-needles. and the bed for the cylinder-needles, provided with lugs, combined with the ring having the two forks to embrace the two lugs at the opposite sides of the said bed and turn it axially to shog the cylinder-needles, and with a lever to turn the said ring and forks, and with stops to regulate the extent of axial movement ot' the said ring and bed, as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The bed for the plate-needles, the series of plate-needles, means to operate them, the bed for the cylinder-needles, lugs thereon, the c5lindcr-needles, the cam-cylinder provided with two cam-grooves, 2 3, to actuate the cylinder-needles, and the switch d, its rod and grooved hub to raise and lower the said switch at the proper times, combined with the ring having the two forks to embrace the two lugs of the bed for the. cylinder-needles and turn it axially to shoe, the cylinder-needles, and with a lever to turn the said ring and forks, and with stops to regulate the extent ofaxial movement of the said ring and bed for the cylinderneedles, as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have signed myname to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEO. A. LEIGHTON.

Vituesses:

G. W. GREGORY, N. E. G. WHITNEY.

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